Whooping Cough And The Great Vaccination Debate

Once upon a time, if the medical professionals told you to vaccinate against a disease, you went along with it without asking questions. After all, they were the experts, so why would you think they might be wrong? Nowadays however, people are questioning the value and safety of various vaccines before taking them, and this has led to a great amount of discussion and debate around the world.

What Is Whooping Cough?

Whooping cough is an illness that initially presents like a cold or flu, but then becomes more severe with some of the symptoms lasting for weeks. It can affect anyone at any age, and is particularly dangerous in babies and children, or the elderly with respiratory problems. It is a highly contagious illness, and the CDC suggests that just one infected person can spread the illness to up to 15 others.

Unfortunately, most people have no clue that they even have whooping cough, until the characteristic cough kicks in, and because it is more contagious at the beginning of the illness, people spread it unwittingly before knowing they are really sick. In babies, the risk of further complications is much higher, and it can result in pneumonia.

Symptoms of Whooping Cough

The symptoms of whooping cough are similar to other cold and ‘flu viruses, and include:

• Nasal congestion and runny nose
• Red eyes that are watery
• Fever
• Cough

The cough is not like a regular cough. It almost sounds like a deep bark or a ‘whoop’ hence the common name whooping cough. As the illness progresses the symptoms can get worse, and an accumulation of thickened mucus in the airway can cause coughing that is uncontrollable. When the cough gets to this point, it can cause the following symptoms:

• Vomiting
• Redness of the face
• Blue tinge to the face
• Extreme tiredness

With babies, they may not have much of a cough, but they can have difficulty breathing, and in some cases may stop breathing temporarily.

READ Scientists Struggle to Explain Surge in Whooping Cough

The Vaccine

Whooping cough vaccines were created and made available in the 1940s, and so many who are adults now, were most likely vaccinated as a child. However, the effect of the vaccine does not last forever, so it is recommended that adults get a booster shot, called Tdap. Similar to vaccines given to babies, Tdap combines vaccines for whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria.

The Not So Good News About The Whooping Cough Vaccine

Recent Events

In 2013, a preschool in Tallahassee, Florida, experienced a rather serious outbreak of whooping cough. In total, 26 children between the ages of 1-5, 2 staff members, and 11 family members of the children contracted whooping cough. Of these victims, the majority had been vaccinated fully against whooping cough as per the recommended schedule.

A similar occurrence took place in a California community called Elk Grove in 2014. The community consisted of 4,500 preschoolers, and all except for 80 of them had been fully vaccinated. Even though there was s such a high rate of vaccinated children, the incidences of whooping cough in that community were almost 5 times higher than the surrounding areas.

The majority of children, who became infected with whooping cough, were in the 3 years of age bracket. This seems to indicate that the vaccine may only be potent for 2-3 years. Many still believe that the outbreaks are due to those children who weren’t vaccinated, but this is not entirely true. It is more likely to be due to a decrease in effectiveness of the vaccine itself.

What Are The Risks of The Vaccine?

Potential risks of a vaccine are often what stop a parent from getting their child vaccinated. There have been many studies and discussions about side effects of various vaccinations, and this also includes the whooping cough vaccine. Often the serious side effects only affect a small minority of those vaccinated.

The most well-known side effect of the whooping cough vaccine is brain injury. The vaccine can cause the brain to swell in some children and adults, and who is likely to be affected is unpredictable. The figures aren’t accurate, but in America, there have been almost 3,000 cases of brain injury or death due to the whooping cough vaccine. Other side effects of the vaccine can include redness and swelling of the injection site, a rash, fever and allergic reactions.

Mutated Strains

There has been research into the possibility of mutated strains of whooping cough. It is believed that over a long period of time, exposure to the vaccine can cause the organism that causes whooping cough to mutate, to protect itself from the vaccine. This has been seen in other viruses and infective organisms as well.

READ US Researchers Have Discovered First Whooping Cough Strain Resistant To Vaccine

Deciding What to Do

Making a decision regarding what vaccines are safe for your child or for yourself can be a very difficult process. On the one hand, you don’t want your child to experience an illness such as whooping cough. However, if you vaccinate them they may still develop the illness anyway, as the vaccine’s effectiveness wanes. Also, what about the side effects and risks?

There will always be pros and cons regarding any type of medical procedure, and this includes vaccines. The only way to help you make that decision is to talk to your family doctor about what would be best for you and your family.